Benchmark Cars
 

What do you consider benchmark sportscars?

my example:
Ford GT is the benchmark for competitors to compare against in the $150k price range. That spot used to belong to the Ferrari 360 Modena

under $150K: Ford GT
under $100k: Porsche 911
under $50K: Corvette Z06.
under $30k: Camaro AND MUSTANG or maybe STI and EVO

Porsche 956/962 was THE benchmark to compare against throughout in the 1980s.

Audi and their subsidiaries are the sportscar racing benchmark of the late 1990s and 2000s.

i'd have to say the m5 for sporty saloons

Don't think that the showroom prices of a car should be the determining element in this discussion. As prices differ considerably from region to region.
Living in Western Europe and being dutch we have to pay a whopping USD 135,375.00 for the current entry level Porsche 911. The current entry level Chevrolet Corvette empties our wallet for a staggering USD 113,00.00 :oops:

wholly cow! sux to be an european car owner. I should start selling cars over there !?

Why's it so much, is it the currency or import duties/fees/taxes?

Snacky,

let's say the nett price of a car is 100. On top of that we pay 19% Value added Tax. Being dutch we have the privilege to pay a 30% additional tax, called BPM, on top of that .
And the current exchange rate USDollar / Euro doesn't help either as
> US Cars aren't exactly popular in our country
> Car sales are in a slump so importers / dealers tend to line their own pockets first before they lower the showroomprice because of the relatively cheap US Dollar ( 2002 EUR 1.00 = USD 0.87 2004 EUR 1.00 = USD 1.24 )

uhh the porsche isnt under 100 grand lol, under 100 grand goes to the Viper, under 30 goes to the Stang/F-bodies no questions asked, 20 and under SRT-4. Looks.

$30k STi & EVO -> very hard to beat those in the best value for money ratio.

McLaren F1---benchmark for all supercars!

i say e46M3 for the luxury coupe

because every manufacture is trying to make a vehicle to compete with M3

Price performance wise these are the top cars you can get IMO:
I didn't check the prices so they can be a bit wrong but they should be more or less ok.

Peugeot 106 1.6 GTi 120hp - 14.000 euro
Renault Clio RS Ragnotti 2.0 172hp - 17.500 euro
Subaru Impreza 2.0 Turbo 228hp - 28.000 euro
Opel Speedster Turbo alias VX220 Turbo 2.0 turbo 200hp - 38.000 euro
Nissan 350Z 3.5 280hp - 42.000 euro
TVR T350C 3.6 350hp - 60.000 euro
Noble M12 GTO 3.0 Turbo 350hp - 80.000 euro
TVR Tuscan 440 440hp - ? about 110.000 I think ?

I might be forgetting some but these cars give good value for their performance IMO

hehe a little biased? dont worry so am i... but i think that ive got a point.

cayenne-suv's
all porsches (c2, c4s, gt3, turbo, boxster)
mclaren f1
enzo
gt40 (nothing is really in its class)
m5-sport sedans
i know im missing something...damn...

wtf...enzo?!...and all porsches.... biased ain't close. yall should replace the McF1 by the Konigseshiathing first (no dis, just me dumb). Second, rear engine is a flaw, so there goes the porsches except the CGT. Third, Cayenne...man, no men, please stop. If you went for a top SUV try the G-Class or the H1, then under ya have the RR and the Cayenne Turbo, etc. And as the GT40 having no real class, the Rx-8 beats it's upper class so...

y would u pick the koenigsegg over the macca? in test i've seen/read they mostly say that it COULD be really good car, but need development. are you ranking the koenigsegg higher just because of its top speed?

adjustable handling, better aerodynamics, top speed, etc. etc. did i mention the doors :wink: the price :wink: it`s not 10 yrs old :wink: ok i don't know if it has a modem :roll: now i aint talking about the gtr :!: but this is not a lap time topic or is it... maybe if you said top extreme ride i would prolly choose anyway the Veyron 14.6 over the macca. Don't worry it`s still in the top 3, actually 3rd, if you`d include the gtr then its second still to the Bugatti.

erm......ok...i guess u could argue that....but just because it has a lower Cd doesnt mean that its a good thing...remember that surfaces that cause downforce also increase Cd. oh and the top speed still hasnt been offically clocked...its still just claimed..i dont want to start nething so i'm gonna stop there :mrgreen: